


A Night Like This

by TheWakingWindfish



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Ball, Ballroom Dancing, Blossoming Friendship, Conversations, Dancing, F/M, Music, Princess/Knight, Waltzing, blossoming love, gaining trust, slight tsundere
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-27
Updated: 2018-06-27
Packaged: 2019-05-29 15:31:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15076187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWakingWindfish/pseuds/TheWakingWindfish
Summary: Zelda had been cooped up inside Hyrule Castle her entire life.  Her father insisted that she follow the traditions of the royal family which meant that instead of going on her own adventures, she'd have to receive a knight to go on them for her instead.  Finally, the day Zelda has dreaded for years arrives.  The day her knight is presented to her and to the kingdom.  Expecting the worst, Zelda prepares herself to meet the man who would be living her life for her.





	A Night Like This

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! I just had the urge to write this (in the middle of doing homework whoops) and I thought it would be fun :3 This is my first fanfic so I hope you all enjoy it!!

Great. Fantastic.  
My eyes dart nervously around the ballroom as I anxiously sit upright on my silver throne with blue padding. King Rhoam, next to me sitting on a silver throne with cobalt padding couldn’t have looked more pleased at the moment. I resisted the urge to sigh.  
Why does this make my father so happy…  
As I look around the room in a slight panic I catch glimpses of the most highly regarded men and women in all of Hyrule. The extravagant but admittedly elegant ensembles were abundant in this place, leaving somewhat of a sour taste in my mouth.  
Is all of this really necessary….  
While there’s no shame in wanting to get all prettied up, I don’t see why this… occasion absolutely required everyone attending to dress in this style. I mean, the strictest dress code of the decade?? Really Father??  
I looked down, remembering what I was currently wearing and nearly cringed, but I caught myself and reverted my face back to a neutral state, mentally scolding myself.  
I really need to watch my expressions. I absolutely cannot reveal too much to these people.  
It was as if I was wearing the most complicated gown in all of Hyrule to date. I was wearing a corset for crying out loud. I mentally groaned as I remembered what Impa had said to me after seeing this monstrosity.  
“Your father must really have wanted this champion of yours to be impressed with that cleavage honey,” booping me on the nose as she did so.  
My dumbfounded expression caused her to snicker. My eyes teared up as I turned back to the dress and realized how right she most likely was about that. I don’t know why my father cares so much about how much this man is impressed by my body. I don’t know why I need a knight in the first place. It’s not like my father has a knight… He takes care of himself, as can I. A tan hand placing itself on my shoulder broke me out of my thoughts.  
“Hey…”, Impa said looking at me sympathetically.  
“I know this seems like the most unfair thing in the world, but maybe look at it this way. This is a chance to form a friendship with someone and you and this guy, whoever he may be, are going to be stuck with each other forever which means you’ll never be lonely. I know it’s agonizing for you to be cooped up in this castle all day but this is the chance you’ve been waiting for for some sort of excitement in your life. Who knows, maybe you can even accompany this knight on adventures?”  
I smiled slightly, thinking about how amazing that would be. Traveling across the country, exploring every nook and cranny of it. Fighting monsters, maybe even studying them after they’ve been knocked out! I sighed. If I’m even allowed of course… What if this guy insists that it’s impossible for me to do these things and then I’ll just be back wasting away my days in this castle. At least I’ll have my plant study to keep me occupied….  
I felt my eyes begin to water causing me to snap out of the memory as quickly as possible.  
No, Zelda. You absolutely can not cry. Not here, not now. Wow. The fact that I’m excited to go up to my room and sob after this is absolutely pathetic.  
I take a deep breath as silently as possible to quell my emotions. I needed to compose myself. The ceremony should be beginning any-  
“Men and women of Hyrule! I present to you, my daughter,” my father turned around to me and smiled. Thinking that was kinda cute, I genuinely smiled back.  
“Princess Zelda!” he declared as the crowd cheered. That was my cue to stand and walk over to him. I waved gracefully at the crowd, a rehearsed smile placing itself onto my face until I spotted Impa in the crowd, standing in the back, arms crossed, looking like she was about to punch someone out. While she was a bit of a joker around me, around everyone else, Impa was stoic, silent, and intense. I held back a snort. This event irked her as much as it irked me and the spectacle of it really did put a smile on my face.  
We made eye contact and exchanged looks of mock disgust, my expression beginning to teasingly imitate hers as she adjusted her look to one of fake anger as if to say "I will get you later for this little girl." I looked away before I could burst out laughing and decided to give the crowd the attention they apparently wanted. My eyes scanned over their faces looking up at me in adoration.  
I simply do not get it. These people know nothing about me but the adoration plastered all over their faces looks completely genuine and it makes absolutely no sense.  
My father cleared his throat to begin speaking again.  
“And now, everyone please welcome, Link, Knight to Princess Zelda!”  
My stomach dropped. I wasn’t ready. Not at all. Trumpets began to blare, filling the room with a heroic theme. It was certainly catchy but the reason they were playing filled me with dread, completely ruining the surprisingly good song. I wonder if he wrote this himself… Not a chance.  
With a bang, the doors to the ballroom opened, and a boy, no older than seventeen strode in, an aloof look on his face. His dirty blonde hair was held in a messy ponytail, two strands of his hair placed on both sides of his head. His suit may have been the most modest thing here which caused me to relax just slightly. It was blue with what looked like patterns of the Sheikah decorating the sleeves and the waist. The thing that stood out to me the most though were his piercing turquoise eyes. Fixated by the color, I began to stare until he noticed this and met my eyes. I quickly looked away, cursing myself in my head. Wonderful. Now he thinks I’m interested in him. I nearly shudder at the thought.  
The champion was standing in front of my father now and had begun to kneel down in front of him. My father took out his sword and began the ritual, placing his sword on the man’s left shoulder.  
“In the name of the Goddess Hylia, may you be granted the wisdom,” he moved the sword to his right shoulder.  
“Power,” the sword traveled to linger directly above his head.  
“And courage to face and conquer the trials and tribulations a knight of a Princess of Hyrule goes through. Ensure the protection of Princess Zelda through any danger she may face and keep her safe.”  
“I will,” the boy said in a voice that was slightly deep but not at all what I had expected it to be.  
“In the name of Hyrule, I pronounce you, Knight! Of Princess Zelda!” my father exclaimed as the crowd cheered. The man stood up and was presented with my father’s sword, which he accepted. He bowed slightly and stored it in a sheath on his side. The knight turned to me and our eyes met once again. Taking me by surprise, my stomach lurched and my heart seemed to quicken in pace.  
Calm. Down, Zelda. Calm down. It is just going to be a dance. Nothing more. Nothing less.  
I wish I could say that I’ve done this plenty of times before but really, I haven’t. I’ve barely attended any balls in my lifetime and the ones I had were ones held to celebrate the many achievements of my father. At these events, I usually just hid out in the back with Impa until it was over. I never talked to anyone because I doubted how much they genuinely wanted to form a relationship with me and I certainly had never danced with anyone for this same reason. Impa was able to teach me how to ballroom dance and I wasn’t terrible but I was with Impa. I know her, I trust her, she’s my friend and we’re very close. This man however, I know absolutely nothing about. I have no clue why he wants to be my knight. I don’t know what his personality’s like. I don’t even know what he thinks of me.  
Once again, my thoughts were interrupted by a hand. It, thankfully, wasn’t being placed on me. Instead, it was being held out to me, and it belonged to the knight. It took all my willpower not to bolt from the situation and after psyching myself up for a split second, I placed my hand in his, with some enthusiasm.  
Crap. That had way too much energy.  
His eyes softened, picking up the traces of fear in my eyes. Again, his eyes were able to calm me slightly and I realized he must actually be somewhat considerate towards my feelings about this. We continued the ritual, him bowing and myself curtseying. My chest tightened in anticipation of what was expected to come. A kiss on the hand. A formality I absolutely despised. The knight seemed to sense this however, and he stood up without missing a beat.  
Did… Did he just skip kissing my hand… Because he could sense that I was disgusted..?  
My eyes began to betray me and showed the newfound respect I had for this boy, whoever he was. I gave him the softest, slightest smile I could without giving too much away but the knight, ever so attentive caught it. He gave me one back, a smile that matched the tone of mine. Slight and soft. I think I caught some relief in his eyes.  
I guess he really didn’t want to upset me. That is to be expected I suppose but this seems genuine. Like he actually cares about how his actions affect me.  
He steadily led me out into the middle of the floor and I followed easily.  
I guess I was warming up to this guy, if only enough to allow me to follow him without mentally struggling. Yikes.  
We came to a stop and I took this as a sign to get into position. I lifted our right hands that were now intertwined and placed them near his right shoulder, placing a hand onto the skirt of my blue gown and lifting it. He took this as a sign to place his left hand onto my waist, which caused my breath to catch in my throat. We made eye contact and he took a deep, but quiet breath, signaling me to do the same. I did and felt much better after. We locked eyes and I noticed that his eyes were smiling at me reassuringly. I tried to convey a discreet expression of gratitude through my own pair which I think he was able to make out because he gave me a slight nod, the look he gave me just moments ago still present in his eyes.  
We were both were completely ready to do this now and just in time too because the music started to kick in. The orchestra was playing what was given the name “Zelda’s Theme” and I couldn’t help but resist the urge to roll my eyes at that thought. It was a graceful, slow song that apparently was written to honor my “femininity” and “charm”. This song was supposed to be the greatest honor to my name but all it did was sadden me. I do consider myself to be quite feminine, it’s something I enjoy, and I guess it’s nice to be thought of as charming but there is so, so much more to me than just those traits. To the people of Hyrule however, those are the only things a princess is good for. Sometimes, I feel as if even my father thinks this way.  
It can’t be helped at the moment however now, as I had to focus on the dance. I let the knight lead me into a waltz. Nothing fancy at first. Just the basic steps of a waltz. My eyes relaxed. I could do this. I could handle this. I let our eyes lock and I smiled a bit, as if to say, “Yeah. I’m cool with this.” The knight smiled back at me, relaxing a bit as well. He began to lead me into a small twirl which I accepted. It was kind of pleasant actually. We continued this pattern, some standard waltz with a few twirls mixed in when the champion was starting to get more confident. He looked at me as if he was asking for consent. To do what, I don’t know but I gave him what I hoped was a look that said, “Go ahead.”  
What’s the most he can do anyway? A fancier turn? Maybe a more complicated mo-  
Goddess Hylia he’s lifting me up.  
I let out a small gasp as I was swooped into the air and twirled by the knight. Without thinking I wrapped my arms around his neck for support and allowed myself to be taken on this journey. I’d never admit it, but I was filled with an exhilarating feeling. Being spun in the air as if I was flying. Flying far, far away from here. As if the knight was taking me somewhere far, far away….  
My goddess what am I thinking??? I just allowed this boy to invade my fantasies of escapism… this… I can’t let this happen…  
I felt a blush creep onto my face. It was small, but noticeable enough for the knight to see because I saw the slightest of smirks creep onto his face. I stared at him, shocked which caused him to hold back a laugh. He took this as a signal to set me down and we fell back into our old rhythm of dance. My heart was racing but I figured it was just because of the amount of energy I was releasing at the moment. Dancing isn’t easy after all!  
As we danced I felt myself warm up to the knight. The pleasant softness of his hand, the lovely color of his eyes and the expressions that could be read from them, the lack of anxiety I had about his hand against my waist. The knight himself seemed to be getting more and more relaxed with me as well. When our eyes met, he looked at me how one would look at a friend. It felt… nice to have someone look at me like that. I mean, I certainly get looks from Impa and we do have our own moments of closeness but this felt a little… different… in a way. Impa’s not exactly my age and she is a friend but she’s also like a caretaker.  
I’ve never actually had anyone around my age look at me like this...  
What I didn’t realize however, was that I was actually looking back at him in the same way. I felt an unspoken connection between us. We had only just met less than five minutes ago but dancing with him felt like dancing with an old friend.  
A mischievous look in the knight’s eyes disrupted my thoughts.  
What does that mean… I asked myself, slightly concerned but I was more curious than afraid.  
My questions were answered by the knight suddenly beginning to whisk me around the ballroom floor.  
I resisted the urge to shriek as I was taken on a journey. The knight led me to every area within our reach, as fast as he could go while still maintaining the tempo of the song. After the initial shock of this, I realized how much fun I was having. It must have been written all over my face because the knight started to chuckle which caused my face to turn red with embarrassment. That caused him to laugh even harder and the scene I was making began to amuse me as well. I let out a shy giggle and as I did, I noticed that the knight’s cheeks had been tinted with a very light pink…  
This buffoon was blushing as well, dear goddess.  
It was his turn for embarrassment now as he registered the thoroughly entertained look that had developed in my eyes. His eyes widened a bit and he let out a soft, “oh” which sent me into hysterics. This first thing he says to me all night and it’s not even words. It’s an “oh”. He begins to laugh too causing our graceful whisking to be invaded by our fits of laughter. We continue this until the music stopped, and we move apart to stand next to each other, myself curtseying and the knight bowing. I notice the strange looks we’re being given from the crowd and a voice in the back of my mind begins its routine scolding but I push those thoughts away. I just had an absolute blast and as long as I had someone by my side who enjoyed partaking in these kinds of antics with me, there’s not a judgmental person in the world who can keep me from them.  
I caught Impa’s eyes from across the room who looked amused by the little show we just put on. She raised her eyebrows teasingly which caused me to quickly look away. As I did, I locked eyes with the knight who was smirking at me in a way that said, “That was fun”. Beaming, I gave him a look that said the exact same thing. People began to clap out of politeness and I took that as my cue to escape back to the outskirts of the ball. Without thinking, I pulled the knight along with me as I made my way to one of the corners of the room, the boy following my lead. I hadn’t noticed what I was doing until I had reached my destination and once I did, my eyes shot open. I began to apologize but then I stopped myself. He followed me here, didn’t he? That means he’s okay with this…  
Okay, just talk to him Zelda. You felt a closeness and you just had a great time. Pursue this friendship Zelda, PLEASE.  
“That must’ve been a complete shock to the townies,” I said smirking. This caused the knight to let out a small chuckle, smirking as well.  
“Scandal of the century, I’m sure,” he replied.  
“My friend Impa certainly looked amused. Though I’m not exactly sure how my father’s going to react to this…”  
“Your father… He’s probably just relieved that we don’t despise each other,”  
“Who says I don’t despise you?”  
“Your eyeeees say you don’t despise me.” the knight said in a tone of mock spookiness.  
“Oh please.” I said, lightly shoving him, trying not to let my smile show through my “annoyed” demeanor. “If it makes you happy dear, I don’t despise you.” I said in a mocking tone.  
“Oh Zelda.” the knight said in a tone of mock gratitude, placing a hand on my cheek. “I don’t despise you too.”  
I flushed at the sudden contact and let out a laugh.  
“We’re actually ridiculous.” I said amused.  
“Yeah, I won’t argue with that statement,” the knight said smirking contently.  
“You have no shame do you?” I said holding back a laugh.  
“How dare you. I am just the right amount of ashamed.”  
“Goddess Hylia!!” I nearly screamed, barely able to hold my laugh in any longer. “I’d scold you but I don’t remember your name.” I said.  
“Zelda! Now that is shameful. I should be the one scolding you.” the knight said crossing his arms and shaking his head somberly.  
Now that I think of it, it really is an awfully shameful thing to do to just forget someone’s name. Wow.  
My face flushed a deep pink and I debated on whether or not I should apologize. This was just playful banter after all but still, that was a slightly impolite thing to say and the fact that I forgot his name is terrible.  
“Okay, okay I’ll admit, that was pretty bad.” I said, giving a little chuckle. “Would you mind telling me your name again?”  
“It’s Link,” he said and gave me a somewhat reassuring smile.  
“Link.” I repeated with a slight nod and a shy smile on my face.  
Another slow, classical song began to play. I recognized this as “Kakariko Village”.  
“Hylia, the music they play at these things is lame.” I said unable to stop myself. Link was utterly amused by that statement so I decided to elaborate. “Sure it’s lovely I suppose but this is supposed to be a party. There’s supposed to be energy and excitement. Not whatever this drudgery is.”  
Link let out a laugh.  
“Wow Princess, I expected a more cultured reaction from you,” he scolded. “I completely agree though. Something more lively should be playing,” he thought for a moment. “Y’know what would be nice? Some Zora music. The Zoras have some great bands and their music is full of exciting instruments and percussion.”  
“I’ve never exactly… experienced Zora music before…” I admitted looking down at the floor. “I don’t get out much…” more like at all. “And my father hasn’t exactly taken the time to expose me to the music of the other races. I’ve always wondered what Zora music sounded like. Must be interesting. Maybe something aquatic themed?”  
Link looked at me in shock which caused feelings of shame to rise within me. I kept reminding myself that it was not my fault that I was like this. I’d love to experience different cultures and places and be educated for crying out loud but I’ve been stuck here all my life. My eyes began to well up with tears.  
Great. Now I’m going to cry in front of Link.  
Noticing I was upset, Link quickly reacted.  
“Hey!” he exclaimed, gripping my shoulders. I looked at him in suspense. “We should go to a Zora concert sometime! There’s one next week! We could trek out into Zora territory and I can show you around Zora’s Domain!”  
My jaw nearly dropped. I felt my eyes watering more intensely. I was about to cry tears of joy. I attempted to regain my composure and responded.  
“You… you mean that?”  
“Of course I do! It’d be a lot of fun!”  
I looked into Link’s eyes with the biggest smile on my face.  
“I’d love that.” I said sincerely.  
We spent the rest of the ball excitedly planning our future adventures, Link getting more and more excited just thinking about taking me places. It was sweet. We got to know each other a little better and had conversations ranging from our favorite foods, which we both swore to cook for each other one day, to our favorite branches of science, biology is superior I kid you not, and even to cheap gossip about the royalty present in the ballroom with us. The conversation continued to flow until my father got back up to speak once again.  
“That concludes tonight’s celebration. Let’s once again hear it for Princess Zelda and her knight Link!”  
Everyone cheered as Link and I stood there, myself smiling genuinely this time and Link with a smirk threatening to show through that aloof look on his face he had on when he first entered the room.  
“I sincerely hope you all enjoyed yourselves! Goodnight everyone!” my father exclaimed as the doors of the palace opened and people began to file out.  
I turned towards Link.  
“Well, I guess I should be heading to my room now.”  
“Let me walk you. I live in the castle now and I think our rooms are in the same hallway.”  
“Oh, okay.” I said blushing a little.  
The knight held out his arm, I took it and we began to walk back towards our rooms. We walked past Impa and once again, she gave me a look, a questioning one this time. I gave her one of reassurance even though I knew that it wasn’t going to hold her off for a very long time. I’d have to survive her questioning tomorrow morning most likely, maybe even tonight if she’s that interested. I gave her a friendly wave as we walked by and she smiled back at me. I thought about seeing my father before leaving but he was busy speaking to some guests. I didn’t exactly mind… I wasn’t prepared for his string of questions at all…  
I wondered if I should begin a conversation with Link but then I realized that we were content with just being in each other’s presence and I let myself relax a bit into his side. Before I knew it, we were standing outside my bedroom door.  
“I believe this is your room?” Link said.  
Startled, I replied, “How did you….”  
Link smirked. “It does say your name on the door.”  
Oh. Right. Facepalming myself mentally I said, “I guess my exhaustion’s getting to me…”  
“Well then I guess you'd better hurry to sleep.” Link said, holding back a laugh as my face flushed once again.  
“Zelda, I had a great time tonight.” Link said placing a hand on my shoulder.  
“So did I Link.” I replied, smiling.  
Acting on impulse, I reached up, placed my arms around Link’s neck and pulled him into a hug. Link was too surprised to react at first but then wrapped his arms around me. I lingered there for a moment and then pulled back.  
“I’m looking forward to those adventures we’ll be having," I said with a smile looking back as I opened the door to my room.  
“It’s going to be a blast.” Link said.  
Just before I closed the door to my room, I looked up at Link and gave a small wave.  
“Goodnight Link.” I said  
“Goodnight Zelda,” he replied.  
I shut the door and maneuvered over to my bed. I let myself sink into the mattress as my mind raced. This was honestly the best, admittedly most unexpected, outcome I could have ever imagined. The fact that he promised to take me all over the country, let alone take me out of the castle had just finished to completely sink into my mind and I was filled with a giddy happiness I hadn’t felt in a while.  
I thought something like this could only have happened in my wildest dreams.  
Link… I guess your presence in my life won’t be so bad after all.

**Author's Note:**

> And there you have it folks! I might just leave this as a one-shot but there's always the possibility that I'll write about the adventures the new buddies will be going on! Please let me know what you think in the comments!! Any thoughts, suggestions or critiques are greatly appreciated!! Thank you to anyone who read this! See you in the future!!
> 
> <3


End file.
